Abstract: Isolated nucleic acid compositions and sequences of anergy associated genes are provided, including the novel GRAIL gene. Expression of these genes is upregulated during the early stages of induction of anergy. The murine GRAIL sequence is shown to attenuate IL-2 transcription in T cells during response to antigenic stimulation. The identification of genes involved in the induction of anergy is useful in the evaluation of the pathophysiology or immunotherapy of cancer, autoimmune disease, and transplant rejection. Genetic sequences involved in anergy induction are useful markers in the evaluation of specific immunotherapies. Functional characterization of genes involved in anergy induction allows the elucidation of the mechanism(s) of T cell anergy, including the transcriptional blockade of IL-2, which may be manipulated to regulate T cell responses in human disease.

Abstract: There is disclosed lever steering apparatus for a land vehicle with steerable and independently suspended front wheels having left and right steering levers at the driver position. The left and right steering levers are coupled by lever mechanisms and an elongated rod to move in opposite directions. Left and right fore and aft links extend from the left and right steering levers to the left and right front wheels to transmit steering motion displacement to the steerable front wheels causing rotation of the axles of the wheels about a vertical axis. A controller arm connected to each wheel stub axles is connected to the forward end of a fore and aft link for steering motion of a front wheel. The control arm fore and aft link combination causes each wheel steering motion to have a predetermined relation to motion of the corresponding link.

Abstract: A method for removing organic liquids from aqueous solutions and mixtures. The method employs any porous material preferably in granular form and having small pores and a large specific surface area, that is hydrophobic so that liquid water does not readily wet its surface. In this method, organics, especially organic solvents that mix with and are more volatile than water, are separated from aqueous solution by preferentially evaporating across the liquid/solid boundary formed at the surfaces of the hydrophobic porous materials. Also, organic solvents that are immiscible with water, preferentially wet the surfaces of the hydrophobic material and are drawn within the porous materials by capillary action.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for determining the performance of a vessel, such as a hemodialysis access, which communicates blood between two locations of a patient. A conduit, such as an external dialysis circuit or an intravascular catheter, is provided in fluid communication with the vessel, and has a diversion point for diverting blood from the vessel into the conduit. The system further includes means for determining a flow rate of the diverted blood through the conduit. A first sensor in communication with the vessel generates at least one signal that is a function of a blood flow rate in the vessel downstream from the diversion point, wherein the downstream flow rate depends on the determined conduit flow rate and the performance of the vessel can be determined based on the signal. In addition, a processor can be provided in communication with the first sensor for determining a flow rate in the vessel upstream from the diversion point from the signal and the conduit flow rate.

Abstract: This is invention relates to increasing levels of 18:1 trans fatty acids in production animals, the products of which may then be fed to mammals which in turn leads to the production of CLA form ingested 18:1 trans fatty acids; a method to screen diets using a mouse model to detect the effect on milk fat production and content; and a method and device for milking a mouse.

Abstract: A method for establishing the location of access points for a network providing wireless communications coverage for an environment, including determining a coverage radius of an access point at certain locations within the environment, determining an average coverage radius of the access points for the environment based on the determined coverage radii, and positioning the access points at locations within the environment to provide continuous wireless coverage for the environment based on the average coverage radius.

Abstract: Process for the preparation of a derivative or analog of baccatin III or 10-desacetyl baccatin III having a C9 substituent other than keto in which the C9 keto substituent of taxol, a taxol analog, baccatin III or 10-desacetyl baccatin III is selectively reduced to the corresponding hydroxy group.

Abstract: The present invention is an rapid terrain visualization (RTV) flight management and planning system intended to assist operators of a LIDAR mapping system in planning and conducting aerial surveys. Its primary functions include flight management, survey planning, system control, coverage evaluation, and training. Flight planning capabilities are provided through a survey planner that allows a user to define mission parameters and automatically calculates LIDAR parameters and flight lines. A course deviation indicator (CDI) is provided to the pilot(s) to show both graphically and numerically their perpendicular distance from the current desired flight line. Real-time coverage tracking is provided through a plan progress window that provides a map of the survey area including flight lines. When the aircraft passes through a survey area while the LIDAR is activated, the resulting laser swath traced on the ground is drawn on a plan progress display.

Abstract: A system and method for high speed and precision measurement of the distance between at least two near contact surfaces using heterodyne interferometry is disclosed. One of the surfaces is an optically transparent element and the other surface is a substantially non-transparent element. A laser source produces an output having two superimposed orthogonally polarized beams having S and P polarization, with a frequency difference between them. The polarized beams are split into measurement and reference beams without altering the characteristics of the polarized beams. The reference beams are caused to interfere, and a reference photo detector detects the reference beams and provides a reference signal. The measurement beam strikes the object of interest at an oblique angle after passing through a glass plate having a polarization coating on the bottom surface close to the object of interest.

Abstract: A glycopeptide of the formula A1—A2—A3—A4—A5—A6—A7, in which each dash represents a covalent bond; wherein A1 comprises a modified or unmodified &agr;-amino acid residue, alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, alkanoyl, aroyl, aralkanoyl, heterocyclic, heterocyclic-carbonyl, heterocyclic-alkyl, heterocyclic-alkyl-carbonyl, alkylsulfonyl, arylsulfonyl, guanidinyl, carbamoyl, or xanthyl; wherein each of A2 to A7 comprises a modified or unmodified &agr;-amino acid residue, whereby (i) A1 is linked to an amino group on A2, (ii) each of A2, A4 and A6 bears an aromatic side chain, which aromatic side chains are cross-linked together by two or more covalent bonds, and (iii) A7 bears a terminal carboxyl, ester, amide, or N-substituted amide group; and wherein one or more of A1 to A7 is linked via a glycosidic bond to one or more glycosidic groups each having one or more sugar residues, at least one of the sugar residues bearing one or more substituents of the formula YXR, N+(R1)═CR2R3, N

Abstract: A precipitation measuring system comprising a top thermal plate positioned to maximize exposure to falling precipitation and includes at least one ridge circumscribing the top surface for capturing precipitation. A second thermal plate is positioned under the top thermal plate to protect it from falling precipitation while still exposing it to the same atmospheric temperature and wind conditions. At least one solar radiation sensor is connected to the precipitation measuring system to measure solar radiation contacting at least one of the top and bottom thermal plates. During a precipitation event, the top and bottom thermal plates are maintained at a constant temperature and a power consumption curve for each thermal plate is quantified. The precipitation rate is measured by the difference in the power consumption curve for the top thermal plate and the power consumption curve for the bottom thermal plate.

Abstract: The present invention includes a supported catalyst for the reduction of nitrogen oxides (NOx) with a lower hydrocarbon. The supported catalyst comprising at least one active metal and at least one promoter metal attached to a support. The support may additionally include activated carbon. The promoter metals may be chosen from the lanthanide metals and the active metals may be chosen from palladium or platinum. The invention also includes a method of making the above mentioned catalysts and a method of using the catalysts to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) with a lower hydrocarbon.

Abstract: Devices and methods for implementing computer-aided surgical procedures and more specifically devices and methods for implementing a computer-aided orthopedic surgery utilizing intra-operative feedback. A three-dimensional model of an area of a patient upon which a surgical procedure is to be performed is modeled using software techniques. The software model is used to generate a surgical plan, including placement of multifunctional markers, for performing the surgical procedure. After the markers are placed on the patient, an updated image of the patient is taken and used to calculate a final surgical plan for performing the remainder of the surgical procedure. The three-dimensional modeling, surgical planning, and surgery may all take place remote from each other. The various entities may communicate via an electronic communications network such as the Internet.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to immunization methods using recombinant viral vectors. In particular, the invention relates to methods and compositions for immunizing a subject with a nucleic acid molecule encoding an antigen of interest, wherein the nucleic acid molecule is delivered to the subject via a recombinant AAV virion.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for shaping small three-dimensional articles such as nanotube exhibiting a layered structure through material removal such that the article is controllably shaped to exhibit a desired contour. Typically, material removal does not require use of a chemical etchant and is carried out while the article and a shaping electrode are positioned in contact material removal relationship with under a potential difference. The invention also relates to nanotubes and small three-dimensional articles exhibiting a layered structure having a controllably shaped contour.

Abstract: The present invention provides a ZnO based tunable surface acoustic wave (SAW), preferably monolithically integrated tunable SAW (MITSAW) device. The MITSAW comprises a ZnO/MgxZn1−xO quantum well structure and piezoelectric ZnO thin film epitaxially grown on R-plane sapphire ((01{overscore (1)}2)Al2O3) substrate using MOCVD. R-plane sapphire provides in-plane anisotropy in the ZnO layer as the c-axis of ZnO lies in the growth plane. A two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) is placed in the delay path of the SAW device and interacts with the lateral electric field resulting in ohmic loss which attenuates and slows the surface acoustic wave. This mechanism is used to tune the acoustic velocity. The high coupling coefficients offered by the ZnO/R-(Al2O3) system allows large velocity tuning. ZnO based MITSAW is used for chemical and biochemical sensors, offers excellent manufacturability, high yield and low cost. Such SAW sensors have a “resettable” sensing mechanism.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for identifying scale invariant features in an image and a further method and apparatus for using such scale invariant features to locate an object in an image are disclosed. The method and apparatus for identifying scale invariant features may involve the use of a processor circuit for producing a plurality of component subregion descriptors for each subregion of a pixel region about pixel amplitude extrema in a plurality of difference images produced from the image. This may involve producing a plurality of difference images by blurring an initial image to produce a blurred image and by subtracting the blurred image from the initial image to produce the difference image. For each difference image, pixel amplitude extrema are located and a corresponding pixel region is defined about each pixel amplitude extremum. Each pixel region is divided into subregions and a plurality of component subregion descriptors are produced for each subregion.

Abstract: A process for chemical removal of organically-modified silicate (Ormosil) coatings from aluminum alloy substrates without degradation of the underlying metal. An Ormosil film is treated with a zincate solution. The zincate solution dissolves the Ormosil film and deposits a thin, easily-removed layer of zinc onto the aluminum alloy surface, which prevents base-activated dissolution of the underlying metal. The zinc layer may be removed using dilute phosphoric acid, leaving the surface of the aluminum alloy intact. Consequently, the sol-gel coating may be removed while the integrity of the aluminum alloy substrate is maintained.

Abstract: A dynamic transfer syntax efficiently transfers data, including large data images, from a server to at least one client. Source data is transformed into a hierarchical representation. The hierarchical representation, consisting of essentially non-redundant data, is a plurality of levels of transform data, such that a level of the hierarchical representation comprises transform data sufficient to reconstruct the source data at a resolution corresponding to the level. The server transfers transform data from a level of the hierarchical representation corresponding to a desired resolution. To render a new view of the source image at the client, the client requests from the server coefficients of the transform data necessary to reconstruct the new view. In response to the request, the server transfers to the client the additional transform data, and the client reconstructs the new view from the coefficients transferred. A medical imaging application for the dynamic transfer syntax is disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention is a system and method for characterizing human (or animate) speech voiced excitation functions and acoustic signals, for removing unwanted acoustic noise which often occurs when a speaker uses a microphone in common environments, and for synthesizing personalized or modified human (or other animate) speech upon command from a controller. A low power EM sensor is used to detect the motions of windpipe tissues in the glottal region of the human speech system before, during, and after voiced speech is produced by a user. From these tissue motion measurements, a voiced excitation function can be derived. Further, the excitation function provides speech production information to enhance noise removal from human speech and it enables accurate transfer functions of speech to be obtained. Previously stored excitation and transfer functions can be used for synthesizing personalized or modified human speech.